


Dream Sweet in Sea Major

by Jaro (ARealSlimScotty)



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Ocean, Slow Burn, Stars, Tom likes the stars, Tord likes the ocean, also he has a pet fish, i'll add as i go - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-19
Updated: 2017-05-09
Packaged: 2018-10-20 19:31:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10669326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ARealSlimScotty/pseuds/Jaro
Summary: From the moment Tom was born he had always dreamed of being up with the stars. The stars were so grand, so beautiful, so far away from the world. They were everything Tom wanted to be.Tord spent his life looking at the ground. He never looked up. All he wanted was to look away and stay out of trouble. All he wanted was to disappear and sink into a place where he could belong. A place like the sea.When Tom finds himself in need of a roommate, and Tord finds himself in need of a place to stay, the two start living together. Little do they know not only have they met before but they also have a fate sealed in the stars and a connection deeper than the ocean.





	1. Stars and Sea

From the moment Tom was born he had always dreamed of being up with the stars. The stars were so grand, so beautiful, so far away from the world. They were everything Tom wanted to be. When he was six his father would take him to the park at night. They’d lay down on the grass and look at the stars. His father would name off the constellations, and Tom would make his own up. He’d connect start to star until he made his own work of art in the sky. A work of art that only him and his father could see.

By the time Tom was eight he knew all of the constellations. His father didn’t have to tell him what any of their names were, but instead he told the stories behind them.

Tom’s favorite was Cygnus. It was supposed to be a swan, and Tom loved to hear the story behind it. According to legend, the swan was once a man. It was Cionus, the son of Neptune. But after Cionus was slain in battle, Neptune was struck with grief and immortalized his son. He made Cionus into a being of stars, into a constellation. Into Cygnus.

Maybe everyone would become a constellation when they died.

When Tom turned nine he would still go up to the hill, name off the constellations and recite the stories. His father wasn’t there anymore. But Tom knew he was up there. And just like Neptune, Tom immortalized his father. He made his own constellation just like he did when he was younger. Patéras. That's what he named it. His father might have been gone, but he was still watching over him.

Over him, just like the stars. The stars were always over him, always above him. Always up.

Tom wanted to be up there. Space was something much bigger than anybody in the world could ever dream to be, and if Tom could be up there for even a second he’d be so far away from everything and so much more than anything.

And now Tom was 22, sitting in his apartment. He leaned back against the cool glass of his window and glanced at the stars. Not too long until he’d be up there with them. Just a few more years of college and he’d be able to get his foot in the door at NASA.

Just a few more years and all of his hard work would pay off.

But even if it did pay off, his dream seemed infinitely far. The cosmos was ever-expanding, constantly eluding Tom’s reach. The closer he got the farther away they’d drift.

But Tom could still dream. And dream he did. Even if he was barely living, even if he could barely afford to eat and barely manage to pay his rent he kept going. Because if the stars were constantly getting further, Tom would have to go just as far to catch up with them.  
Maybe things don’t have to be this way, though. Maybe Tom could get some help in reaching his dream. Or some help paying his rent, at least.

He sighed as he opened up his laptop and tore his glance away from the night sky. A roommate. Maybe that’s what he needed. Somebody to help fill the space, and help pay for it too.

***

Tord spent his life looking at the ground. He never looked up. All he wanted was to look away and stay out of trouble. All he wanted was to disappear and sink into a place where he could belong.  
  
He hadn’t seen much of the world, but what he’s seen wasn’t that pretty. The only world he knew was a harsh and unforgiving world. A world that would push you to the ground and kick you down as you struggled to get back up.

When Tord was nine, his bedroom window was right above a lake. His house was right up against the waterfront and if Tord wished to do so he could just jump out and swim away. He didn’t know how to swim, though, so instead, he took to staring out at the water and daydreaming about escaping into it.  
  
When Tord was ten he jumped into it for the first time. His father had beaten him and Tord was just so done with it. He just wanted to be free. So he leapt out of his window and into the water below. He still didn’t know how to swim. It was a struggle of coughing up water and desperately kicking his legs in an attempt to stay afloat.

By the age of twelve, Tord had taught himself to swim and the water became his safe haven. When his father was passed out after a night of heavy drinking, Tord would escape out his window and go for a swim. The cool waves would wash over him and he’d feel at peace for once. Like he belonged there. Like he belonged with the water.

And despite the cruel world, Tord crawled his way up. He fled his house at the age of eighteen and went to college on a full ride scholarship.

He dreamed of exploring the ocean. Water had been his best friend for as long as he could remember and there was so much to see. Most of the world was ocean, and most of that ocean had yet to be discovered. Even if the world Tord knew was cruel the rest of the world couldn’t be that way. Because if there was so much of it that humans hadn’t been to, then there was so much of it that could be gentle and forgiving. A vast ocean that could be just kind as the lake he used to swim in.

Now he was 21 and he had lost his full ride scholarship. Although he still received financial aid, the school didn’t grant him a dorm room anymore. Which meant that Tord was left to pay for his own apartment.

Unfortunately, Tord didn’t have enough money to rent out a place and, although he had a few close friends, none of them had room for him. On warmer nights where the weather was clear, he’d sleep out on a park bench near a pond. On cooler nights or whenever it was raining, he’d crash at Paul and Patryk’s place. He was tired of that.

It dawned on him one day that he could check online. Maybe there’d be somebody who needed a roommate?

He walked into the school library and sat down at a computer, opening up craigslist and scrolled through the ads before opening one that caught his interest.

***

_22 y/o male, seeking roommate_

_Must be LGBTQ friendly, able to pay your half of the rent, and willing to help out with housework. The apartment complex does not allow pets so please don’t ask if you can bring your pet!_

_I am 22 years old, male, and currently majoring in astronomy. I can be grouchy in the mornings, but if you help out I am willing to make us both coffee. I tend to stay up late at night so if you’re not a night owl you might want to look elsewhere. Email if interested._

***

Tom found himself starting to drift off to sleep as he waited for an email. Although he wasn’t expecting a response right away, he was still somewhat impatient. Time was ticking. He couldn’t wait too long, or else he’d have to give up lunch for a few weeks.

He let his mind drift off as he wondered who his new roommate would be. What would their name be? What would they be like?

Tom was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the notification for an email. Somebody replied. Somebody was interested in being his roommate. He shifted slightly, moving to sit up in his bed. He opened the email and read over the contents.

***

_Hey, I was wanting to know if you were still interested in a roommate. I’m 21 years old, male, and I’m majoring marine biology. I can help out with housework and I’m not really a morning person either._

_Now I know you said that your apartment complex doesn’t allow pets but I was wondering if they would allow fish. It’s not a big deal, but I have a pet betta fish I’d like to keep. It’s okay if I can’t though. Also, does your apartment complex have a pool? Or is it close to a lake or pond? I know it sounds weird, but being around water helps me out when I’m stressed. And how would you feel about smoking in the apartment?_

_My name is Tord, by the way, please reply back as soon as possible. Also, when is the soonest I can move in? I don’t want to come off as rude but I’m tired of sleeping on park benches and crashing at my friend’s place._

***

Tom smiled as he read the email. The way Tord wrote was oddly endearing. He seemed nice. Then again it was hard to tell over email, sometimes people acted nice online but ended up being complete douchebags in real life. Still, something about Tord’s email just made Tom curious.

Curious to get to know him more, find out what he was like, what he liked, what he did. All Tom knew was that Tord liked water, had a pet fish, and was currently sleeping on park benches. Maybe that last fact was a red flag. Tom didn’t care. He doubted that anybody else would email him, and he felt like he should go with his gut on this one.

So he decided to type out a reply to Tord. He figured that he should try and seem interesting. Maybe he should add a quip about the stars. Tom knew that Tord liked water, but Tord didn’t know that Tom liked stars. Maybe he could make a joke in the email. He’d come off as funny and cool. Tom was totally funny and cool.

***

_Yeah, I’m still looking for a roommate. In all honesty, you’re the first person to even ask. It’s nice to know that we have a similar stance on mornings, they suck ass. Nights are great though, they’re full of stars._

_I’m sure that you could keep a fish here. This place is actually pretty run down, and they’re not very strict on the rules. The only reason they actually enforce the pet rule is because people actually try to sleep at night. But fish don’t bark at ridiculous hours, so it's fine. There’s no pool but we’re like… three blocks away from a lake. You can smoke in the apartment if you want, just don’t be a chain smoker or anything._

_I’m Tom. You can move in as soon as you have your stuff ready, there’s a bed in the other room but that’s about all. If you don’t have furniture I’m sure we could buy some if you’re willing to wait a while because I can barely manage to pay for this place and food, let alone furniture. It’ll be easier when you move in though._

***

Tord was at Paul and Pat’s apartment when he got the email. Normally he’d be out at the park on a night like this, but when Patryk found out Tord was basically homeless he was very insistent that Tord stays at their place.

Tord still felt pretty guilty about it, though. He wasn’t too used to kindness and didn’t know how to go about accepting it. For most of his life, he hadn’t been shown any kindness so he was used to fending for himself. He still slept at the park on warmer nights, it had become a sort of home to him. A guilt free home.

Despite the guilt, Tord kept a lot of his stuff at their place. It was also where he kept his pet betta fish, Robe.

“Hey, Tord, you got an email,” Paul spoke, his voice a little raspy from the smoking, “It’s from some guy named Tom.”

And with that, Paul set his laptop down in Tord’s lap. The two of them basically shared the thing, even if Paul used it the most. Tord opened up his email and smiled as he read it. Tom seemed nice. A little crude, but overall he seemed nice. Maybe even kind of cool.

“What’re you smiling about?” Patryk asked, walking in from the kitchen. He was holding two mugs and handed one to Paul before joining him and Tord on the couch.

“Oh, nothing, I’m just working out some details with my new roommate,” Tord answered, still smiling, “Now I don’t have to leech off you guys or sleep in the park.”

“Finally getting yourself a place to stay, huh?” Paul chuckled, “When do you move in?”

“Tomorrow,” Tord answered. He wasn’t technically lying. Tom said he could move in as soon as he got his stuff ready, and Tord could get that done by tomorrow,

“Tomorrow?” Patryk asked, “Have you even packed? How will you get there?”

“Tomorrow,” Tord deadpanned, “And what is there to pack? I live out of a backpack, Pat. I can just take the subway and I’ll be fine. Carrying Robe with me might be a bit of a challenge, but I can do it” Tord looked back down at the laptop and started typing out his reply.

***

_Great! I’ll be there tomorrow then, I guess. I don’t actually have much to bring, just my pet fish and a backpack full of clothes._

_No need to worry, I don’t smoke too often. Only every now and then when I’m stressed or need to get my mind off of things. I can’t wait to meet you, Tom! I’ll be over around 4._


	2. Familiar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I'm sorry it's a little late but here you guys go! Thanks for being patient uwu the stories a litle boring now, but give me a bit and things are gonna pick up.

Tom stared at his clock, glaring at it as he watched the time pass. “So much for 4 o’clock...” he grumbled. Tord said that he’d be here long before now. He wasn’t. It was well past eight and Tom sighed. He briefly considered leaving the door unlocked and putting a note on the coffee table, that way he wouldn’t have to bother with waiting for Tord. But Tom stayed put on the couch and waited.

His father had always said that first impressions were everything, and Tom would be damned if he wasn’t going to try his best to make a good first impression. He had a tendency to come off as rude when meeting people and although Tom couldn’t care less if a stranger thought he was rude, it’d make things harder if his new roommate thought so.

Eventually, Tom took to laying down on the couch. The couch was comfortable, even if it was falling apart at this point. The leather was cracking and ripping in multiple spots revealing the off-yellow foam that it was built out of. Tom covered it up though. He had thrown a few pillows over the worst looking places, so instead of looking ripped up, they were covered in checkerboard and galaxy prints.

Just as Tom was starting to drift off, he heard a knock at the door. Finally. Tord was here. He practically jumped off of the couch and scrambled to the door. He wasn’t expecting the sight he saw when he opened the door, however.

The man in front of him had to be Tord. But instead of being in dry clothing like a normal person, Tord was drenched from head to toe. His hair was sticking to his head and messed up, dripping more water onto his already soaked clothes. He was wearing a blue shirt with black jeans. He had a red and blue hoodie tied around his waist, that seemed to be one of the few dry things on him. The only other dry things were his red tennis shoes and the red backpack he had slung over one of his shoulders. In his hands, he held a fish bowl that was wrapped in a plastic grocery store bag.

The two stood there for a bit, Tom awkwardly staring at Tord from the doorway, and Tord occasionally looking up at Tom from where he stood. Tord was the first one to break the silence.

“C-can I uh... Come in?” He asked, stuttering a bit. Tom couldn’t tell if it was from nervousness or just being cold.

“Sure,” Tom nodded, opening the door up the rest of the way and stepping to the side. He watched as Tord awkwardly shuffled into the living room. “So, why are you soaked…?” Tom asked. It was a bit weird, in all honesty. Not only was Tord four hours late, but he looked like he just saved a guy from drowning or some shit.

Tord turned to look back at Tom, his green eyes darting around the room nervously. “W-Well you know how you said there was a lake near here, turns out it was a pond and I was really nervous so I kind of… um… jumped into it… to calm down, y’know? I’m sorry, I’m getting your carpet all wet and I must seem really weird but I’m sorry and I’m probably annoying you-” Tord babbled, eyes still looking anywhere but at Tom.

“No it’s fine, stop saying sorry, jesus christ! I was just curious, okay? If you want to change your room is through the door on the left,” Tom cut Tord off, raising a hand to point to the door. He didn’t really get what was up with Tord. Why the hell was he apologizing so much? Why did he just fucking jump into a pond? Tom let out an annoyed sigh as Tord went to his room.

Tom walked into the kitchen, figuring he should make dinner for both himself and Tord. He went to grab the cup ramen, taking the only two left and making a mental note to buy more when he got the chance.

***

Tord shut the door behind him as he walked into his new room. Tom was right he said there wasn’t much in there. There was a wooden bed frame in the corner, with a stained white mattress sitting on it. There was a single window with a banged up table underneath it. The room had beige carpeting and stained white walls. It was plain and boring, but it was his new home. Tord was sure he could liven it up a little. He set Robe down on the table, smiling down at the red beta as he took the plastic bag off of the bowl.

He quickly stripped himself of the wet clothing, grabbing a new outfit out of his bag and pulling it onto himself. He now wore a dry white shirt with a light blue seashell on it, as well as another pair of black jeans. He topped it all off with his jacket. He felt somewhat cold, the air conditioner in Tom’s apartment doing nothing to help him out with that.

Tord dumped his bag out onto his bed, shoving the clothes back into but keeping the other stuff out. Patryk made him take a blanket, so he laid it out on the bed. He set all of the papers down on the table, doing the same with all of the pens.

The whole time Tord was setting his stuff up, his mind was rife with worry. God, he was so stupid! Why in the world did he have to jump into the pond? Sure, he was basically having a panic attack and it was all he could think to do, but he didn’t have to. He could have done something else! Now Tom thought he was weird. Who wouldn't think that, though? Tord showed up three hours late, soaked in pond water, and incredibly nervous. That probably made him look like a fucking freak.

He stood by the table and pressed a finger against Robe’s fishbowl, the red betta swimming up to him and touching his finger through the glass.

“You don’t think I’m a freak, do you Robe?” Tord said, talking to himself more than the fish. Robe just continued to flap his fins happily. Tord feigned a smile and pushed his worry aside as he got up and stepped out of his room.

He heard noises coming from the kitchen, and assumed that Tom was in there. He walked in and spoke up, making his presence known.

“H-Hey..” He stuttered, sitting down at the table in the middle of the room. Tom turned to look at him, shooting Tord a hesitant smile.

“I made you dinner. It’s just cup ramen, though, hope you don’t mind.” Tom said as he set down two cups on the table, as well as a glass of bottle of vodka. “Do you want anything to drink? I have uh… Water and vodka..” Tom gave a nervous chuckle.

“Water?” Tord answered, the word coming out as more of a question. Tom nodded and got Tord a glass of tap water. He set it down on the table by the smaller man, not noticing how Tord tensed up when Tom took a sip of vodka.

“Thanks…” Tord mumbled, starting to eat his ramen. As the two of them sat in silence Tord got his first good look at Tom.

Tom had spiky, light brown hair and piercings on his ears. Stubble was dotted around his chin, and there were dark bags under his eyes. He wore a dark blue hoodie that had specks of white dotted across it, they almost looked like stars. Maybe they were supposed to be stars. Tord didn’t know. He had on checker print sneakers and ripped up black jeans.

Tom had the weirdest eyes Tord had ever seen. They were completely black, with nothing inside of them. They were nothing but void.

Something about Tom looked oddly familiar, but Tord couldn’t put his finger on it. He just shrugged the feeling off. He’d remember Tom if he met him, right?

Tord watched Tom as he drank his vodka straight out of the bottle. The sight of alcohol made Tord anxious, and he felt his breath catching in his throat. Oh god, oh god no. Tord had already left a bad impression. He was not about to have a fucking panic attack just because his new roommate was drinking. He gulped down his ramen, quickly followed by his water and bolted to his room. He could talk to Tom later. Right now, he just needed to not have a panic attack and not fucking cry. 

***

Tom sat there at the table, dumbfounded after Tord ran off. What the fuck? Every time he saw Tord he was just left with more questions.

Still, there was something about Tord that seemed oddly intriguing. Something that seemed oddly familiar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :") I restarted this chapter like 3 times oml. Also! I drew what tom and tord look like in this fic- http://awkwardsprinkles.tumblr.com/post/160211982105/i-drew-tom-and-tords-designs-from-the-fanfic-im
> 
> I hope you like this chapter!


	3. Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom makes Coffee, and the two don't really talk. I mean they talk a little bit but like not really hahaha fuck dialogue sm I right? jkjkjkjk they're gonna talk eventually. I swear.

Tom turned away from his telescope and looked up at the clock. His vision was somewhat blurred, his “eyes” having difficulty adjusting to the light after looking through the telescope for so long. He couldn’t read the clock that well, as he was nearsighted to begin with, and the aforementioned blurred vision didn’t help. 

But he could tell one thing, it was late. Very late. So late that it could be considered incredibly early.

Tom didn’t care though, the stars were out and he was lost in them. He turned back to his telescope, peering back into the night sky through it.

It was almost like looking into another world. Telescopes were a lens into a place tom could only dream to go. Even if there was light pollution where Tom lived, he could still get a somewhat clear view of everything. He was looking at the stars that made up Aquarius.

The Sumerians believed that Aquarius brought on a sort of global flood, causing the land to become ocean. Tom smiled to himself, the memories of him and his father flooding his mind. Stargazing was still something he did every night. It was just pleasant for him. He pulled away from the telescope once more to look at the constellation as a whole.

Telescopes were nice and helpful, but they did nothing to help see the big picture. Tom opened the window by his bed and leaned out slightly, squinting his eyes.

Aquarius was visible this time of year.

Tom shut his eyes and smiled once more, letting the cool night breeze blow against his face. Sometimes he thought about leaping out of his window and soaring off into the night, but sadly that wasn’t possible. He’d just plummet down ten stories and either die or wish he was dead.

He shut his window and laid down on his bed, turning off his lamp before closing his eyes and drifting to sleep.

***

Tord woke up from a dreamless sleep to the sound of Tom shouting “FUCK” at the top of his lungs. The first thing that went through his mind was something along the lines of panic. He shot out of bed and threw his clothes on. Tord knew from experience that waking up to loud yelling wasn’t good. In fact, it was normally very bad. Yelling, in general, was bad. He sprinkled some fish food into Robe's bowl before leaving his room.

But when he scrambled into the living room, he was greeted with a sight that wasn’t worrying at all.

Tom was holding two mugs of coffee, but one of the was empty. Its contents? Spilled on both the floor and Tom’s crotch. Tom’s face was a hilarious mixture of pure rage and pain. He was dressed lazily in a NASA t-shirt and a pair of checkered boxers, the thin fabric of the boxers not helping out with the hot coffee he had spilled on himself.

And without even thinking, Tord busted out laughing. He was still half asleep. He normally wasn’t one to laugh at people, but he couldn’t help it.

Tom seethed in response, glaring at Tord before setting the mugs down and stomping off to his room.

“I’m gonna go fucking change,” He grumbled under his breath.

Tord continued to chuckle under his breath as he watched Tom walk away. Still, Tord figured he shouldn’t be a dick. He didn’t want Tom to get mad at him. He cleaned the spilled coffee off of the floor as best as he could. He then grabbed the now empty mug and walked to the kitchen, brewing another cup for Tom. He figured the other mug would have cooled down by now, too, so he went to grab that one and refill it.

Tord walked over to Tom’s door and knocked on it a few times, “Hey Tom, what do you like in your coffee?” He asked, raising his voice a bit so that he could be heard through the door. He heard Tom grunt from the other side.

“I like my coffee black, why do you care?” Tom answered, also raising his voice.

“Well, you uh... Spilled your coffee. So I made you some more, sorry if you didn’t want any but you had like two mugs so I figured you’d want more because like I said you spilled one of them and-” Tord rambled, trying to explain his reasoning.

“Dude one of the mugs was for you, I don’t need two mugs of coffee. I’d probably have a heart attack if I had that much.” Tom replied, opening the door. He had thrown on a pair of ripped, black skinny jeans and kept the NASA t-shirt on.

“Oh…” Tord mumbled, somewhat confused. He didn’t really understand why Tom would make him coffee. In Tom’s ad, he had said “if you help out I am willing to make us both coffee” but Tord hadn’t helped out with anything yet.

He shuffled awkwardly so that he was out of Tom’s way, and then made his way back to the kitchen. He did nothing to Tom’s coffee and kept it black. The way Tom said he liked it. He then fixed his own the way he liked it, with lots of sugar and creamer.

Tord picked the two mugs up, one in each hand, and brought them to the living room. He was careful not to spill them as he didn’t want to end up like Tom did earlier. He said nothing as he handed it to Tom and joined him on the couch.

Tom didn’t say anything either. The two just sat there in silence, drinking their coffee. The silence wasn’t comfortable, but it wasn’t necessarily awkward either. It was just silence.

Tord wasn’t sure when, but Tom had pulled his starry hoodie on and he had slipped on his checker print shoes. Tord knew next to nothing about Tom, but he did know that the man loved stars and checkers.

Eventually, Tom got up, muttering a simple “Time for class” as he grabbed his laptop bag that was placed next to the couch and walked out the door. Tord looked up at the clock and figured he should start walking to work. It was a bit of a far walk from here so he wanted to make sure he wouldn’t be late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is short! I'm still trying to get through some basic set-up/exposition before things get good. Just like real people Tom and Tord can't hate or love each other without reason to. I'm getting to the good stuff soon though!

**Author's Note:**

> Okay okay you guys have no clue how fucking pumped I am for this!! I have so many plans and ideas, so buckle up because it'll be one hell of a ride. This fic is titled after the song "Dream Sweet in Sea major" by Miracle Musical, and also somewhat inspired by it. I'm just!!!! So Excited!!! For this!!!! I hope you guys are, too!! All comments/kudos are appreciated!
> 
> ((yes I'm still working on "losing the things you wanted to keep" I just had an idea and a shit ton of motivation for this))


End file.
